Watercress darter

The watercress darter (Etheostoma nuchale) is a small, reddish fish with colorful fins which lives in the Black Warrior River drainage basin near Birmingham. To date it has only been found in a few locations in streams in Powderly, Roebuck Springs, and Thomas Spring and Glenn Springs in Bessemer, plus a reserve population planted in Pinson. Originally these populations would have been connected, but today the waterways that link them are either too polluted or altered for the populations to mingle.

The species is named for its preferred habitat in the "watercress zone" of springs. It feeds on snails, crustaceans and insect larvae. The largest known female was 2.5 inches in length, but the fish are generally 1 to 1.8 inches long. Green sunfish, bluegills, and sculpins are known to prey on watercress darters.

Contents

History

The watercress darter was discovered in 1964 by Mike Howell and R. D. Caldwell in Glenn Springs, a tributary of Halls Creek, in Bessemer. Another population was not found until 1976, when a second was found in Thomas Spring, another tributary of Halls Creek in Bessemer. In 1980, Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge was established around Thomas Spring exclusively to protect the rare fish.

Roebuck fish kill

In September 2008 the earthen dam at Roebuck-Hawkins Park was demolished by order of the park director, Regina Nummy. She claims to have not known about the pond's importance to the endangered species and to have been responding only to damage caused by flooding of the park's tennis courts, located just above the dam. 11,760 individual fish were killed, in part because their instinct when surprised by moving water is to seek shelter in the grasses at the pond's edge rather than to swim with the current. Federal and state wildlife officials collected specimens, developed a pond restoration plan, and began an investigation which may lead to criminal charges. Mayor Larry Langford requested that Balch and Bingham represent the city in defending itself against possible action.

Under the restoration plan another temporary sandbag dam was built, bringing the pond depth back to about 12 inches. An aerator was used to restore oxygen levels and teams of biologists and volunteers frequently monitor water quality and keep an eye on the fish population. A non-native crayfish population that had been preying on the fish was also eradicated. The temporary dam was later replaced with a tamper-proof dam specially designed for the pond. By June 2009 scientists from the University of Alabama found about half as many individual fish in the pond as in previous years.

On June 24, 2010, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a fine of $2,975,000 against the city. The Service said the city was initially helpful in restoring the habitat, but has not responded to further measures needed to protect the fish. In January 2012, it was reported that a settlement had been proposed in which the federal government would drop the fine if Birmingham donated $182,000 to the Freshwater Land Trust and continue its efforts to protect the pond's fragile ecosystem.